Fluid distributing apparatus



May 19, 1953 L. LEEJI 2,638,912

FLUID DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 21, 1947 Patented May 19, 1953 FLUID DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Leighton Lee II, Rocky Hill, Conn., assignor to Niles-Bement-Pond Company, West Hartford, Conn., a corporation of New Jersey Original application November 21, 1947, Serial No. 787,415, now Patent No. 2,601,849, dated July 1, 1952. Divided and this application September shown at l 6.

8 Claims.

.The present invention relates to apparatus for distributing equal quantities'of fluid from a common source to a number of discharge points.

The present invention is an improvement on arated tends to be complicated.

side of the pump.

apparatus.

valves in the other conduits.

which tain features of my invention.

2 ton valve I8 operated by a bellows 20. The interior of bellows 20 is supplied with a variable control fluid pressure through a conduit 22. The exterior of bellows 20 is exposed to the pump The valve mechanism Branch The space above piston This Therefore it may be seen that The system therethe structure shown and claimed in the copenddischarge pressure through a passage 24 extending application of Milton E. Chandler, Serial No. ing through the valve l8.

"782,757, filed October 29, 1947, which has comit operates to maintain the discharge pressure 'mon ownership with applicants assignee. The of pump l2 at whatever value is required to balpresent application is a division of my copending ance the force due to the variable control fluid application, Serial No. 787,415, filed November pressure acting on bellows 20. '21, 1947, now Patent 2,601,849, dated July 1, 1952. The fluid is distributed from conduit [4 through In systems of this type, wherein a main supthree branch conduits 25, 28 and 30. ply line delivers into several branch distributing conduit 26 includes a metering orifice 32 and a lines, it is customary to provide each branch discharge valve 311 biased to closed position by line with an individual flow control valve. Mecha spring 31. Discharge conduit 28 includes a anism for simultaneously controlling a number metering orifice 35 and a control valve 38. of individual valves which may be widely sep- The branch conduit 3!: includes a similar metering restriction 40 and a control valve 42. Con- In some fiuid distributing systems of the prior trol valve 42 is similar in all respects to control art, it has been proposed to place an individual valve 38, and only the latter will be described pump in each distributing branch line, and to in detail. The control valve 38 includes a piston drive all the pumps from a common power source it attached by a stem 46 to a discharge valve 48. so that all operate at the same speed. Difii- The upper end of piston 44 is attached to a guide culties in such systems have been encountered rod 5t. The space below piston 44 is subject to because of variations in the adjustment and volthe fuel pressure on the downstream side of meumetric efiiciency of the individual pumps. tering restriction 36.

Another type of prior art system employs a it is subject to the fuel pressure in a pilot line single variable delivery pump employing a num- 52, which communicates with discharge conber of individually controlled branch conduits. duit 26 on the downstream side of metering re- Where such a system is used, it is necessary to 39 striction 32 therein. This same pressure is comcontrol the individualbranch conduit valves conmunicated to a similar space on control valve 42 currently with the pump delivery control to avoid by means of a conduit 54. building up excessive pressures at the discharge If the pressure in conduit 52 is lower than the pressure under piston 44, then the piston An object of the present invention is to pro- 5 44 will rise, opening the valve 48 wider.

'vide improved and simplified fluid distributing upward movement of valve 48 win continue until the pressures are balanced on the opposite Another object is to provide a fluid distributid of piston :34, ing system, including a plurality of branch discontrol valve 38 operates to maintain the pres.- tributing conduits, in which the control Va v sure on the downstream side of restriction 36 in one conduit serves as a pilot for the control equa1 t that on the downstream Side of t tion 32. Since the areas and the pressures on Ot er Objects a advantages of my invention the upstream sides of the two restrictions are the w ll become aparent from a consideration of the same, then the flow through both restrictions will appended specification, claims and drawing, in be substantially the Same,

fore operates to maintain equal flows through The figure illustrates, somewhat diagrammatin t b h distributing nd its,

a y. fl diStribllting System e bo y ng 081- The terms and expressions as used herein are intended as terms of description and not of limi- Referring now to the drawing, the fluid comes 50 t ti n, and 1 h ve no intention, in the use of from a tank (not shown) and flows t ro h an such terms and expressions, of excluding any inlet cond t a p p and a a n ischarge equivalent of the structures shown herein or conduit M. The pump discharge pressure is parts thereof, but recognize that various modiregulated by a relief valve mechanism generally fications are possible within the scope of the This mechanism includes a pisinvention claimed.

I hereby claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for distributing fluid from a common source to a plurality of discharge points, comprising a plurality of branch conduits, each leading iron said source to one pi said points, a meieriiis restri ion in each o sa d c ndu ts a valve in each of said conduits downstream from its associated restriction, a spring biasing the valve in one of said conduits toward closed position, said spring biased valve being subject to the pressure of the fluid in its associated conduit acting directly thereon in an open g dir tion, said spring and valve being effective to said pressure substantially constant, pperating means for each of the valves the other of a conduits including, for each va e, 51 pair ,9 e pansible chambers separated by a movable wall,

a connection between said Wall and its associated valve, a fluid conduit connecting one of said chambers to its associated branch conduit on the downstream side .of the restriction therein, and a fluid conduit connecting the other of said chambers to said one condui on h down t eam side of the restriction therein, so {that said other valves maintain the pressure drops across their associated restrict-ions equal to the pressure drop across the re tri t on n sa d on c nd i 2. Apparatus for distribu f u d from commonsource to a plurality of discharge points, comprisin a plurality of branch conduits ach leading from said source to one o said point a metering restriction in each of said conduits, a valve in each of said conduits downstream from its associated restriction, means for operating one of said valyes to maintain a substantially constant pressure on the downstream side of its associated restriction, means ior operating each of the others o said V lv s to main a n P 9 3%- sures on the downstream sides of their associated restrictions qua to sa d s bsta t a l c ns an pressure.

Appa atu o d st ibutin f u d Bor a common source to a plurality of variable, termin dischar e r fic s, com risin a main flui supp y condu t. and a plural o branch Gon- .duit each r nch o ui eadin fr m sai ma n c ndu t to on of sai o c s an ha a fi d meteri restriction herein; mea o maintainin in a d main conduit a p ssur which b a s a used rat to a vari bl squtrel pr s ure; and me ns i q ali in th pressure in all of i branch conduits do nstre m f om their espect ve s rictio s; w e

b h d dis ha e a each. of a d orifi e i the amei Fluid ist ut n a para s messin t slain- 3 inc udi va -rs n e h o said o i e io s edhe flow ie ii iss and su I e pressure in itsassociated branch con- 6 wpsram r m t e e r i n thereine ea a u fo d st i ut mm f om a 99 gr; Source t a l ra it o e na sa s orifices; c pr sin a m in uid supply conduit, a pilot branch conduit and a plurality of other branch conduits, each other branch conduit leading from said main conduit to one of said orifices and having a fixed metering restriction therein; means for maintaining in said condu t pr re-which ea a fi ratio to a variable control pressure; and means for equalizing the pressure in all of said other branch conduits downstream from their respective restrictions, including a valve in each of said orif ces to controlling the flow therethrough (and subject to the pressure in said pilot conduit,

the fl d discharge at each of said oriiiflces is the same.

Apparatus ior distributing fluid from a source to a plurality of variable, termipal discharge orifices, comprising a main fluid supply conduit and a plurality of branch conduits, each branch conduit leading from said main conduit to one or said orifices and having xed mete in n id mp t erein; mea s for its in a d mai con ui a su ell-, bea s a fi e ratio o a ar l c n ro Mea re, and m an f r e ualiz n h ress a1 s a d br nd; condu nsi's -m rom their respective restrictions, whereby the fluid dishware at h of s id ifice i the ame "7- F u dis r bu in a pa a u cc rdin t la m n ludin a a ve n each o a r fi e for contro l n the Q hs i ii us d sub e s the P ess e in s a soc at d an h co dui down ream fr m 311,9 r str 0 t r ni Apna us fo is r butin fluid f om a common source to a plurality of terminal dischar 921 196 oomr is is a main fluid su ply cond it a Pi ot bran h condui a d a p ur li o o her br nc con uit e ch o h r b anc LEIQl-ITON 1.

Refe ences ited the fi e o thi a ent UN 'FED fiTATES PATEN S Number Name Date 991,641 Plantinga May 9, 1911 2,240,515 P'artington May 6, 1941 2,310,984 Mock et al. Feb. 16, 1943 2,430,264 Wiegand Nov. 4, 1947 QREIQN i ENTfi Numbe QQun ry Dat 577,132 Great Britain of 1946 

